One Pastor I knew used to say that when Jesus was born, the Wise Men came all gussied up in their fancy finest, and the Shepherds came in their modest, raggedy "street clothes", and all of them were completely welcome.
I know this is all a joke. But, I think all of us have observed, that there are no real dress codes or standards of dress in church anymore. People wear torn jeans, short tennis shorts, flip flops, t shirts as outerwear, etc.
Yes I would rather people be in church than not be there at all. But I’m just observing, that there is no such thing as Sunday best anymore. Casual dress has overtaken just about every place in society.
My observations have been in Catholic, Lutheran, and some other non denominational Christian chruches. Any who can tell.us about any denominations which still expect certain standards of dress, please let us know. Thanks.
Admitting - I only dress “Sunday’s best” when I am the assigned lector and giving the Scripture reading before the congregation at mass...
Otherwise I’m put together but casual regardless of the denomination of the church...perhaps dark jeans instead of light jeans, but yeah.
It’s California.
I attend a fundamental independent Baptist church and we dress up in our Sunday best.
This time of year many Lutheran men are sporting lederhosen
I personally like the fact that casual dress is acceptable pretty much everywhere.
Jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts and tennies - nothing more comfortable!
Um, not my wife's Baptist church, which I occasionally attend. The minister preaches with his shirt untucked and wears a pair of Crocs, and my brother-in-law is a deacon. His idea of church attire is a T-shirt and a pair of flip-flops. No, bro, I don't think God wants to see your grungy toenails. I certainly don't.
Calvary Chapel—God is worthy of our Sunday best, so make sure you pick out your finest sandals, shorts, and Hawaiian print shirt when you show your face at one of your city’s fifty-eight Calvary Chapel churches.
See above post about Baptists. I gotta cop to the Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts, but at least I wear my best sneakers and clean socks.
Non-Denominational Megachurch—Whatever you woke up in. If it’s good enough to party in late Saturday night and crash on your couch in, it’s good enough for God. If you overdress by wearing a shirt that doesn’t show some skin or a low-key, modest outfit, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb!
This sound more like my Methodist church back home. Every Christmas Eve, girls as young as twelve attend candlelight service, seemingly trying to out-slut each other by blow-drying their hair, applying a pound of makeup, squeezing into A-cup bras and low-cut tops for maximum cleavge, and wearing dresses or skirts so short, they flash buttcheeks every time they get up and down in the pew. Hey, girls, take that to the mall and show your ass(ets) off at Orange Julius. Since you're still a few years shy of buying your first legal beer, how about toning it down a little in church, m'kay?
Sunday best coat & tie
/s
Sunday morning was suit and tie for all the men. Only young boys were exempt from the suit requirement, but I remember a white shirt and tie only for church and my "Sunday shoes" which were not allowed to be worn at any other time. Women wore a"church dress" the meaning of which is "somewhere between a business dress and a party dress."
Sunday evening service was slightly more relaxed. Men generally wore slacks and a button shirt.
Now, not so much dressing up. The last time I went to a funeral, I was the only man in a tie. It was in the summer and it was hot, but still...
I don't think the Lord cares too much, but I recall my mother's stern words. "It's about respect."
You should wear a kippah in synagogue though many don’t.
Many years ago, I attended a Saturday evening service at my church. Evening services on Saturday and Sunday are focused on young people, so no choir, only a ‘worship team’. One of the young people on the worship team, he looked to be no more than 20, was wearing a ‘Che’ shirt. I was appalled! I mentioned it to my (now former) wife. She, like many Canadians, had no idea who Che Guevara was. I explained how many people that Guevara had killed in cold blood and how he took such pleasure in their killing.
I also attended the Sunday evening service, to see if the young man would wear the same shirt. Obviously, someone must have pointed out to him, how evil Guevara was and that a shirt celebrating such an evil person, had no place in a church. I never saw the young man wear such a shirt again.
I would suggest that such a shirt would be celebrated in many mainstream ‘Methodist’ churches. So many seem to have forgotten the ‘Gospel’, instead focusing on the ‘social gospel’.
No one dresses like that today, of course, but what is worn now in most houses of worship is disrespectful and self-indulgent.
Leni
Shouldn’t this be a Babylon Bee caucus thread?
In Catholicism we are to dress to visit Jesus as He is in the Eucharist. Torn jeans, men in shorts, in flip flops anything goes. It is incorrect.
At my current church (a Baptist semi-megachurch in the style of Saddleback), since we’re in the Seahawks area, lots of people show up at church in Seahawks shirts, jerseys, and other Hawks attire. The pastor does too, sometimes.
I wear my Seattle Dragons shirt, out of protest.
The dress for Episcopalians is now drag.
Tongue in cheek, but oh so true.
I wear jeans, button up shirt, bootsv(work style ) to work, church, and night on the town. It’s what I own 95%. I have dress pants, jacket and tie. It’s for funeral, weddings and job interviews. If it’s needed or requested, I expect one of those 3.
I’m not a slob but really what’s the requirements these days.